Paper short abstract:

Research focused on the spaces created for women by women’s rights organisations or Government explored what these mean to women, how they access the spaces, what they learn, the benefits they get and how far their participation enables them to organise and make demands on local Government.

Paper long abstract:

The research found that women appreciated and benefit from women-only spaces; they socialise, they learn new knowledge and skills, they value the safe environment for learning how to speak in public and for sharing problems, fears and hopes. The spaces were important in building their confidence, self-belief and in encouraging their agency and extending their ambitions, especially through teaching them their rights and promoting leadership. Women talked of 'realising they can do what men can do', and the importance of raising their voice in political debates. There was evidence of their growing confidence, excitement about their right to be involved, and of the many skills they were learning, including how to present a case to decision makers and their right to be listened to. They learned where to go to address problems such as violence, income generation, and securing documentation for example birth, marriage and land ownership, areas which may be beyond the Local Government's remit.

The women face myriad problems caused by poverty, their second class status in the home and community, their lack of access to resources including decision-making and the social norms that curtail their freedoms of movement, choice, and representation. While the focus of the projects explored was on political participation and the achievement of access to better resources or improved policies, it was clear that women's engagement in these spaces contributes to meeting other needs and they are using new skills and confidence to find ways to address their problems, both individually and together.